Full Vineman Triathlon - TriathlonFull Ironman

I stayed with Abbie (AbbieR) for the race. I arrived Thursday evening. We went to dinner and then I worked on putting my bike together. I noticed the derailleur hanger was broke. Thanks TSA! :-( i was concerned about finding the part since this is a Trek 9.9 Speed Concept Project One bike. It is a very difficult bike to work on and not all bike shops carry the special parts. Luckily Abbie's friend at a local shop said they had it.

Abbie taught classes in the morning and we went to the bike shop around 1:30 on our way to race check in. The bike guy discovered not only was the hanger broke, but the frame was also broke. Great - I am going to race on a broken carbon frame. The guy told me to be careful. UGH! Bike retails for $11,000. I am going to spend a lot of time this coming week in a local shop here in San Diego and on the phone starting to put my claim together to TSA.

Bike was fixed the best it could be. Abbie and I made it north in time for me to attend the 4:30PM meeting and check in. Then, we drive back down to the city.

Race morning. We left the city a little after 4:00AM. Made in in time for me to set up transition, use the bathroom, and get in the swim line.

Event warmup:

none.

Swim

1h 11m 3s

4224 yards

01m 41s / 100 yards

Comments:

My slowest ironman swim to date. Very glad I did not wear a wetsuit. The water was warm. Very shallow. My hand would drag the bottom in several locations. I was swimming into the back of people that were standing up and walking. I didn't have much contact with other swimmers fighting for water space. I paced myself nice and felt good.

Transition 1

05m 9s

Comments:

No assigned racks or spots. Muddy and sandy. Pulled on my tri top over my wet sports bra and my shoes, helmet, and away I went. I walked the big hill out of transition.

Bike

6h 03m 31s

112 miles

18.51 mile/hr

Comments:

I told myself I would ride a 6 hour bike course. I had no plans to push it. Good thing, since the bike shop guy told me to be careful on the hills because that is when I will be putting the most stress on my broken frame. I felt great and kept and even pace. My splits were almost exactly the same during the entire ride. This was a great ride. I would love to do this again.

Transition 2

03m 51s

Comments:

Sat down in the grass to pee while I changed shoes and put on my hat. :-)

Run

4h 26m 27s

26.2 miles

10m 10s min/mile

Comments:

I have not ran more than a 15 mile long run since before my injury in mid June. I know this was not going to be easy. I wanted to keep a pace that would not cause lots of recovery time post race. i started off feeling great. I actually felt decent during most of the run. I walked the big hills and walked most of the aid stations. They had the BEST peaches. WOW - they were good. I loved going back to the start/finish line to start a new loop. you were given a plastic bracelet when you completed a loop. I thought that was fun! Also, Abbie was volunteering at the aid station right there and would give a nice "love pat" on my ass each loop. Thanks, Abbie! ;-) On my third loop I stayed with a guy doing his first ironman that was really struggling. It was also his final loop. He was cramping and loosing motivation to continue running/jogging. I stayed back with him and kept him company. With about 2 miles left he convinced me to go ahead. Abbie was volunteering at the finish line and gave me my medal and a big hug when I crossed the line. It was great! The guy I stayed with on the final loop found me in the post-race area after he finished and thanked me for helping him get though his "dark time" out there on the course. Abbie and I enjoyed some food, gathered, my gear, and headed back to the city.

Post race

Event comments:

Abbie and I had a rough day on Friday. I have a broken bike frame and she lost her wallet. :-(

I had a wonderful day at the Vineman Ironman on Saturday. I really liked the course. Great volunteers. Lots and lots of fun. This was a fun day for me. Now, back to lots of training.

Thanks to Abbie for being a great race Sherpa and a wonderful friend!

Last updated: 2012-10-12 12:00 AM

Swimming

01:11:03
|
4224 yards |
01m 41s / 100yards

Age Group:

0/

Overall:

0/

Performance:

Suit:

tri shorts and sport bra

Course:

2 loops. Very shallow and murky water.

Start type:

Deep Water

Plus:

Waves

Water temp:

74F / 23C

Current:

Low

200M Perf.

Remainder:

Breathing:

Drafting:

Waves:

Navigation:

Rounding:

T1

Time:

05:09

Performance:

Cap removal:

Helmet on/
Suit off:

Wetsuit stuck?

Run with bike:

Jump on bike:

Getting up to speed:

Biking

06:03:31
|
112 miles |
18.51 mile/hr

Age Group:

0/

Overall:

0/

Performance:

Wind:

Some

Course:

Rolling hills. Some smooth roads, but an equal number of rough roads. Very pretty course.